Thursday (Apr.4) VP Kamala Harris made her fourth trip to North Carolina this year, her second to Charlotte, NC to announce selections for $20 billion in awards to a :
First-of-its-kind national network to fund tens of thousands of climate and clean energy projects across America, especially in communities historically left behind and overburdened by pollution.
In addition, selectees plan to mobilize almost $7 of private capital for every $1 of federal funds — approximately $150 billion total.
Prior to her visit, VP Harris was interviewed by Ms. Jessica of FM Power 98 Radio. It’s an excellent interview. Give it a listen.
While in Charlotte, Vice President Harris met with Levon McBride, first time homeowner. in Grier Heights:
In her remarks at the event announcing the Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments in climate action, VP Harris related:
For example, today, I visited Grier Heights — (applause)- and as many of you know, it is an historically Black neighborhood here in Charlotte. And over the past two decades, the community bank Self-Help worked with residents and community organizations to install good insulation, high-quality windows, and new electric appliances in this part of Charlotte to make them more energy efficient.
Levon is a small business owner and a former middle school teacher. He shared with me that in his last home, every month, he paid $300 for his gas bill and $300 for his electricity bill.
After moving to one of Self-Help’s energy-efficient homes. Levon’s total energy bill — total — dropped to around $100 a month. (Applause.)
More from VP Harris’ remarks:
And here is what is special about this announcement: For the first time in history, we are providing tens of billions of dollars directly to community lenders to finance local climate projects.
This is a novel approach. It is actually the first time we have taken this approach, because we know that we have the capacity with this approach to empower communities to decide which projects they want, that will have the greatest impact from their perspective in the place they call home. And then, we can invest in those projects in a way that will actually have value for the people who live there, instead of us from Washington, D.C., telling you what you need. (Applause.)
And further:
So, all of that being said, we also know that this investment is going to create jobs — good-paying union jobs; jobs for the workers of the IBEW, who are going to install the energy-efficient lighting; jobs for sheet metal workers who can replace the dirty furnaces and — and replace them with clean electric heat pumps; and jobs for the laborers who will build affordable, energy-efficient housing.
Synergy!;
So, I’ll conclude with this. This investment demonstrates an important point: When we invest in climate, we create jobs, we lower costs and we invest in families.
When we expand access to capital and give every person in our nation, no matter who they are or where they live, the opportunity to pursue their dreams, we build a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable and more prosperous future for everyone.
VP Harris’ remarks start at 9:50 minutes.
After the event, VP Harris visited the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Office for a campaign rally:
AND, while in Charlotte, NC, VP Kamala Harris conducted an interview with Tim Boykum, of Spectrum Local News. It’s a good interview; enjoy.
See the comments for what else VP Harris was doing during last week.
Reminder: VP Kamala Harris Roundup is a weekly series, published on Tuesdays at (AM ET. Please share widely. For daily updates, see my MVP Kamala Harris comments in the Abbreviated Pundit Roundup.
VOTE and GOTV! “When we fight, we win!” — VP Kamala Harris